Maybe the brown T-shirt imprinted with the eye-catching COOKIE…take a bite! logo that Tracy Mattson is wearing signifies super powers, something like the “S” emblazoned on Superman’s chest. Inside the 400-square-foot commercial kitchen of Tracy’s boutique, artisan bakery in Santa Rosa,Read more
Hiking atop Tomales Point’s craggy cliffs on the California coast, dense fog swirls with abandon, obliterating my view a few yards ahead. Just as quickly it shifts, allowing a fleeting glimpse of scrubby vegetation hugging the sandy trail. Save forRead more
Sixty-eight. Sixty-seven. Sixty-six. The countdown is under way as Bill and I drive the winding, two-lane Bodega Highway toward Bodega Head on the Sonoma Coast of California. Bill is at the wheel. He steals frequent glances at the thermometer onRead more
My left hand covers a small plastic container of pungent Italian Blend olive oil to capture the aromas while I gently swirl it in my right palm. With the pale green-gold contents now sufficiently warm. I sip, swallow, and eruptRead more
It was 10:00 am and my stomach was rumbling as I walked through the orderly rows of chardonnay, pinot noir, and zinfandel vines in the Morelli Lane Vineyard at Dutton-Goldfield Winery, my footsteps kicking up the fine, beach-like earth thatRead more
When Bill and I first entered Silver Moon Cottage, our airbnb rental home for our month-long stay in Kenwood, CA, we could tell its owner, Monique Risch, has a deep love for food and wine. First of all was theRead more
UPDATE: We were saddened to learn about the death of Bonnie Tempesta, whose company, Boncora Biscotti, is the subject of this blog post. Click here to read her obituary. We’ve been told that Boncora Biscotti will continue as part of Bonnie’sRead more
“The hills are alive with the sound of music.” No offense to Julie Andrews and the producers of the blockbuster musical The Sound of Music, but the Austrian Alps have nothing on the Sonoma Mountains and Mayacamas Mountains when it comesRead more
Isn’t it funny how certain places exert an especially strong pull on your heart? As much as Bill and I love traveling to new destinations, there are some extra special places that draw us back again and again. We feelRead more
Hank Birnbaum selected a sea otter pelt from a pile of skins displayed on a wooden table and let me caress the soft, luxurious fur. “Sea otters don’t have a layer of blubber to help them keep warm, unlike otherRead more